Security Inventor and Organiser, the Engineer Heinrich Ehrhardt

The Rheinmetall company magazine

Special 2014 anniversary issue

he days of our years are three-score his reaction to the exhibits, the reporter noted chinery, and cameras (the “Exa” refl ex cam- years and ten (70)” according to the his “admiration for the inventive powers of a era) and even motors for mopeds. biblical psalm. Companies often don’t person who is a source of constant innovation In 1956, Röchlingsche Eisen- und Stahl- “ live much longer. Indeed, the average and never stops at what he has achieved but werke GmbH bought Rheinmetall without life expectancy of a business in West- keeps going.” Borsig. Rheinmetall once more started to pro- Tern Europe or the US is less than 20 years! A In those days, the company had around duce military equipment when the German scientifi c study published in the renowned Har- 6,000 employees and 200 offi cials. At the be- Bundeswehr was founded. The fi rst products vard Business Review in the late 1990s states ginning of World War I, Rheinmetall was the to leave the production line were guns, can- there are only few companies in the world that biggest arms company in the German Reich; nons and munitions that convinced custom- reach the age of 100 or more. To survive in a the workforce had risen to nearly 8,000. Due ers due to the outstanding quality. These were world of constant change with all its crises and to the war, this had increased to nearly 48,000 followed by cannon tubes and gun carriages extreme situations and reach the age of 125 employees of which 9,000 were women by the for armoured vehicles and artillery guns as calls not only for a very particular mindset end of the war in 1918. Wartime production well as tank destroyer guns, a standard tank and attitude of the management, work- consisted entirely of weapons and munitions turret (Leopard 1) and a self-propelled howit- force and shareholders, but also for manufacture. zer. Development of the 120mm smoothbore innovation strength and great fl ex- After the cessation of hostilities, demand technology got under way in 1965. In coopera- ibility. Although this principle is for military equipment practically collapsed tion, the best ever main battle tank (Leopard generally valid for all compa- from one day to the next; weapons and muni- 2) and two armoured infantry fi ghting vehicles nies, it is especially true for a tions were no longer needed and the produc- (Marder and Puma) were developed. Subse- German company and particu- tion of such military equipment was banned by quently, the Boxer armoured fi ghting vehicle larly one like Rheinmetall that the victorious allies. This led to collective re- was developed in collaboration with the Dutch has had to overcome many dif- dundancies with serious social consequences. tank manufacturer Storck who was acquired at fi cult challenges since fi rst be- Only 30 years after being founded, the compa- a later stage. ing founded and whose exist- ny was threatened with extinction. Yet the core The cooperation with other companies that ence was often at risk or called workforce that remained and/or had returned partly led to the creation of joint ventures or into question. Rheinmetall has after the war was not willing to give up. Indeed, acquisitions was partly driven by increasingly long since overcome such diffi cul- they concentrated on what they were best at stringent requirements imposed on modern ties – it is not only one of the oldest – and partly better than others. Quality steel weapon systems. However, these develop- corporations in Germany but is also one was produced in factories with high-precision ments were mainly due to the budgetary of the very few companies that was estab- machines and staff who knew how to operate constraints of NATO and EU member states lished as a stock corporation from the outset. the machines. So it was decided to take the and the tight restrictions on arms exports. In The company’s eventful history is closely asso- risk and start producing locomotives, steam 1999, the defence systems capabilities of the ciated with political and social developments ploughs, type- Rheinmetall in Germany. Rheinmetall is aware of its history, writers and group including the darkest chapters of the past. were Although not directly involved in the establishment of the company, Rheinische Met- allwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik was soon perceived as the company of the ingenious Security inventor and organiser, the engineer Heinrich Ehrhardt. Like so many other successful Düs- seldorf businessmen, Ehrhardt had his origins past and elsewhere. The beginnings were diffi cult; after and all, it was necessary to succeed on a market Mobility present that was dominated – in Germany and the rest of Europe – by the undisputed “king of the cannon” Krupp. Ehrhardt’s quick and lasting success was ultimately attributable to two of his early inventions. Our raison d’être One of his inventions was the extrusion and drawing process to manufacture seamless calculation machines. From the mid 1920’s on- streamlined and organisationally concen- steel tubes. Unlike the Mannesmann tubes, wards, the German Reich held a majority stake trated under the roof of the newly founded Ehrhardt’s tubes were ideally suited as gun in Rheinmetall AG. Rheinmetall DeTec AG (Defence Technologies). tubes and cartridge cases. The Rheinmetall In 1936 the former locomotive factory Borsig In 2004, around 75 institutional investors ac- trademark that was still valid ten years ago (already acquired by Rheinmetall in 1933) and quired the Rheinmetall shares previously held and consisted of a square in a circle stands Rheinmetall merged to form Rheinmetall-Bor- by the Röchling group. for the steel block in the pressing mould and sig AG. Ultimately, all stakes in the company Rheinmetall’s non-military activities have thus for the extrusion process that has hardly were acquired by the government and integrat- consistently expanded since the early 1980’s. changed to this very day. The second invention ed in the Hermann Göring works. From then Not all new acquisitions turned out to be suc- that brought the company its breakthrough on on, production once again concentrated on cessful in establishing a second and possi- the market was the barrel recoil cannon fi t for military equipment, and not many resources bly third cornerstone for business alongside fi eld service. Since it was diffi cult to obtain the were left to continue the peacetime production the defence activity. Ultimately, the executive necessary steel qualities and machine tools, started after World War I. After large numbers board opted for a two-pillar strategy with the these cannons were self-manufactured which of the workforce had been conscripted – like in corporate sectors Automotive and Defence. Au- also helped maintain the technological edge World War I – the company was forced to use tomotive consists of the two formerly independ- on competitors. female employees and then foreign workers, ent specialists Pierburg and Kolbenschmidt At the 1902 industrial exhibition in Düs- prisoners of war and even prisoners from con- that were merged to create KSPG. The repeated seldorf, the “Ehrhardtschen Unternehmen” centration camps. attempt to fl oat the automotive business on the (Ehrhardt enterprises) as they were called in The outcome of the pseudo prosperity was stock market was abandoned. In the end, this the offi cial document, presented their prod- devastating and once more left the company decision transpired to be the best option since ucts in a separate impressive hall. Alongside with an uncertain future. The production fa- the two-pillar strategy has proven successful: many machines, the exhibits displayed an ap- cilities were largely destroyed, the plants in for example, the weak development in the De- proach that correlates closely with the “two Central Germany were confi scated and largely fence sector is currently being compensated by pillar strategy” of the company, namely Secu- disassembled; those in Western Germany profi ts from the Automotive sector. rity and Mobility and Defence and Automotive. were placed under the control of the Allies. Rheinmetall repeatedly had to master diffi - “The display of military equipment showed Production activities were prohibited, only to cult situations that threatened its survival and that the factory (Rheinmetall) had focussed be taken up again fi ve years later. However, has now reinforced its position for the foresee- most effectively on the design of cannons the portfolio was changed once again. In Düs- able future thanks to its two pillar strategy and for fi eld service, meeting the requirements of seldorf, typewriters, shock absorbers, lifts the production/product focus on two main ar- weapons technology and simultaneously pro- and tanning machines as well as transport and eas of our lives that were already successful viding the necessary mobility.” At the time, conveyance facilities were manufactured with 125 years ago: Security and Mobility. mobility was understood to mean wheels, limited success. The independent subsidiary Prof. Dr. Horst A. Wessel* axles, crankshafts and connecting rods as Borsig in Berlin built steam generators and * Professor for economic history with a main focus on company history at the Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf; for well as bicycles, motorbikes and motorised calcifi cation systems. The nationalised factory many years head of the Mannesmann Archives and Chairman of tricycles and even complete cars. Describing in Thuringia likewise manufactured offi ce ma- the Düsseldorf history society. RHEINISCHE METALLWAAREN- UND MASCHINENFABRIK 1 9 1 8 – Procurement practice in the days of the German Emperor 1889

he autobiographic notes of Heinrich Ehrhardt are full Turkish of anecdotes about Rheinmetall in the pre-war era. T One of the many stories to be found relates to the Su- pervisory Board member of Rheinische Metallwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik, Major General z.D. Carl Gustav Becker Delight (1842 – 1913), the former head of the empire’s own artillery workshops. Around 1899, Ehrhardt was hoping to win a big contract or an optical illusion? from Turkey: the once powerful state on the Bosporus wanted to equip its army with new ammunition and fuses, preferably from one source. Ehrhardt had the following problem: Rheinmetall didn’t manufacture fuses in those days. But Ehrhardt had invited a Turkish delegation to visit the Rheinmetall plant in Düsseldorf. In his autobiography “Hammerschläge”, Heinrich Ehrhardt recalls how nervous and embarrassed he was, realising that as soon as the Turkish commission reported back to Constantinople that Rheinmetall was unable to fabricate fuses, the order would be “lost”. So he decided to call their bluff. Ehrhardt had the brand-new fuses that had been fab- ricated especially for fi ring tests at his factory in Zella-Mehls delivered to Düsseldorf, had them appropriately fi xed in the lathes and machine tools of the Düsseldorf-Derendorf factory and let the workers work on them. As Ehrhardt himself was unable to accompany the Turk- ish visitors due to other prior commitments, he asked his Supervisory Board colleague Becker to give the Turks a tour of the factory and convince them that Rheinmetall pro- duces fuses. Becker thought something was seriously wrong with Ehrhardt. This trick was totally anathema to Becker as a Prussian offi cer; Ehrhardt and Becker thereupon had a serious dispute in the course of which “I probably gave him a piece of my mind rather too enthusiastically” recalled Beck- er. The result of this heated discussion was that Becker immediately stepped down from the Supervisory Board. Fortunately, this did not affect the order from Turkey. Apparently, Ehrhardt managed to move his other appointment and had no qualms in showing his Turkish guests the “fake” fuse factory. At the request of his Supervisory Board colleagues, he even managed to persuade Becker to remain on the board, although this naturally called for a sincere apology to the old warhorse. Interestingly, this is not mentioned in Ehrhardt’s memoirs. And the ammunition was also delivered: shortly afterwards, Rheinmetall acquired the factory belonging to Nicolaus von Dreyse in Sömmerda – giving Ehrhardt the skill and the facilities to manufacture fuses. lb

umours already existed during her parents and grandparents about pered Peter his daily bowl of soup at his lifetime. In his autobiography the extramarital affair and was there- lunchtime. Once, Heinrich tripped on R“Hammerschläge”, he described upon disowned by her family. When the old wooden staircase, the soup the decline of his large family that Nobleman or her father died one year later, she was spilt onto the fl oor and – terri- had lost its fortune at the beginning made up with her mother and hoped fi ed at the prospect of his cousin’s of the 19th century following the Na- that Eugen would return to her. This anger – Heinrich wiped the soup off poleonic Wars. His grandfather, for- sounds like a fairytale or is it indeed the wooden fl oorboards back into the merly a wealthy gunsmith, and family the truth? The question of Heinrich bowl. His cousin didn’t notice what moved out of their villa and into a very just a clever guy? Ehrhardt’s true origin is shrouded in had happened, had his soup but was small house by the woods to the north myth to this very day. surprised by the grit on his teeth. of Eisenach in the Thuringian Forest. It is, however, undisputed that Might this have been due to the sand Heinrich was born the son of a silvi- Engineer Heinrich Ehrhardt from Thuringia established and started Heinrich Ehrhardt was a remarkable on the fl oorboards? culturalist who supported himself and to expand the Düsseldorf-based Rheinische Metallwaaren- und personality. In his autobiography, Heinrich’s apprenticeship then took his family with occasional jobs. Hein- Maschinenfabrik from 1889 onwards. Right from the start until he describes how his upbringing by a turn for the better: after his cousin rich Ehrhardt himself described this 1920 he was a member of the company’s Supervisory Board which his grandmother – and without par- had contracted an eye disease, Hein- part of his history. In his biography, he chaired from 1897 onwards. Until today, his origins are an ents – left a deep mark on him: the rich was offered the chance to run the he notes that although he wasn’t a unresolved myth. Nonetheless, it is astonishing how the orphan hard work on the farm and in the business. But even before the four- nobleman he nevertheless had noble dairy were instructive, and the four year apprenticeship had come to an blood in his veins. His grandmother Ehrhardt managed to overcome tough challenges with shrewd- to fi ve year-old lad occasionally felt end, the two cousins had such a se- was born a Graf (meaning countess) ness and how the young man worked his way up in the world with he needed a special treat after all the rious disagreement that Heinrich was from Gräfenroda. perseverance and ambition in spite of many setbacks. hard work: already at this early age, forced to fl ee. His life in the following he showed signs of ingenuity, poking years was fairly unsettled with various In reality, it is highly probable that In her biography of 1969, Maria a straw through the holes of the milk professional stops. His strong leader- Ehrhardt never actually got to know Fischer-Ehrhardt tried to air the se- container to secretly drink up some of ship and his desire to acquire more his father which is why he was giv- cret of her father Heinrich’s supposed the cream from the pot. His idea for knowledge motivated him to collect en the maiden name Ehrhardt of his nobility: according to her sources, a a fi rst hydraulic “suction device” was a lot of experience in many different mother Barbara. A former Thuringian certain duke (Eugen von Württem- discovered but he used his shrewd- areas, for instance, as a designer of state archivist in Weimar, Dr. Wolf- berg) and commander of the Prussian ness to his benefi t on many occasions distillation machines, as a mechanic, gang Huschke, discovered quite a regiment had fallen in love with the in the years to come. a works master and inventor in the different story in the church records beautiful Barbara around one year This was also the case in the forge fi eld of weapons technology. The man in the 1950s: his research indicated before Heinrich’s birth. He fathered belonging to this cousin, the mechan- who came from a smallholding and that Heinrich’s father may have been the child but the love affair was ill- ic Peter Ehrhardt who was a tough craftsman’s family embarked on an a journeyman locksmith and later fated from the outset: Eugen had to teacher to 14 year-old Ehrhardt. He impressive lifelong journey. He is re- train driver called Gottlieb Reuther leave his mistress to follow the call had to collect timber for the workshop membered as an assertive leader with from Weinsberg in Württemberg. of the King of Prussia. Barbara told with lathe and also bring the evil-tem- the willpower to succeed. ann 13.4.1889 Rheinische Metallwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik is established e was one of the closest and most loyal employees of Heinrich Ehrhardt, and one of the most 1889 able engineers working for Rheinische Metall- The Eiffel Tower in Paris is 1889 H completed waaren- und Maschinenfabrik in the years prior to World War I. The man in question is Carl Völler, chief engineer at Rheinmetall, weapons designer and plant manager at Düsseldorf. Coming from his fi rst job at the Cologne Helios 1890 works, the qualifi ed lathe operator Völler probably 1890 1890 Emperor Wilhelm II dis- joined the Eisenach vehicle factory also managed by misses Chancellor Otto von Bismarck Heinrich Ehrhardt at the end of the 19th century. In Eisenach, he replaced the engineer Konrad Haußner, the co-inventor of the famous barrel recoil cannon, as head of the artillery design offi ce. Haußner had fallen out with Ehrhardt and emigrated to Argentina.

1891 1891 Völler moved to Rheinmetall in 1903, following 1892 the relocation of artillery design to Düsseldorf. He Heinrich Ehrhardt invents the extrusion and drawing was appointed general manager in 1912, calling him- process to manufacture self Rheinmetall director from then onwards. The seamless tubes young company owed him the 7.5cm mountain cannon “System Ehrhardt” for which Emperor Wilhelm 1892

1892 1892 II distinguished him with the colonial medal and that The fi rst Sherlock Holmes stories are published in was offi cially fi elded by the army in 1909. The heavy Great Britain mine thrower developed in 1909 by Völler in collaboration with the corps of pioneers and engineers of the Großer Generalstab (Great General Staff) for attacks on fortifi ed positions was particularly spectacular. Personally, Völler felt more committed to Hein- 1893 1893 rich Ehrhardt than to Rheinmetall. In 1908, when he found out quite by accident that Krupp had secretly Carl Völler, Ehrhardt’s most loyal engineer acquired the majority of Rheinmetall shares through the Stock Exchange, he was seriously worried: less about the future of the company as such, but mainly 1894 that the competitor from Essen might constrain his

1894 1894 Rheinmetall’s shares are “I d e fi n i t e l y won’t and Ehrhardt’s activities in the fi eld of cannon design. fi rst listed on the stock So he wrote a letter to Ehrhardt, assuring him of the exchange following: “I defi nitely won’t join Krupp. If Krupp buys up our Rheinische Company, we should simply concentrate all on our energy on building the cannon in join Zella.” He also recommended the “establishment of Krupp!”

1895 1895 a totally new Ehrhardt cannon factory displaying the 1896 full name of Ehrhardt and not as Rh. M.M.” for Rheinmetall and Carl Völler: “During a fi ring exer- Heinrich Ehrhardt and Konrad Haußner develop Luckily for him – and for Rheinmetall – things never cise, Mr. Völler stuck his head out just a little bit too the fi rst barrel recoil got this bad and Völler stayed with “Rheinische” or far as a result of which he was hit by a very small piece cannon fi t for fi eld service “The Cartridge” as the locals lovingly called the Düs- of metal. He asked for a cognac and to be taken to the seldorf factory. His brilliant career as an arms design- hospital in Celle where he died a few weeks later.” 1896 er came to a tragic end in 1916 when he suffered fatal Völler’s popularity with the workforce in Düsseldorf 1896 1896 The world’s shortest war injuries from an accident at the fi ring range in Unter- was all too evident as the long funeral procession ever between Great Britain and Zanzibar comes to an lüß. The only accident report that still exists was writ- moved from the Rheinmetall premises on Ulmen- end after only 38 minutes ten by the later chief designer Carl Waninger: In his strasse to the northern cemetery where his large, collection of anecdotes entitled “Knallbonbon”, he artistically designed tombstone (that was restored a gives a brief account of this event that was so tragic few years ago) remains to this very day. lb 1897

1897 1897 The Prater Big Wheel in Vienna is taken into service

Today, hall 29 presents the Gerry Weber collection all 29 – today owned by the internationally renowned and successful fashion business HGerry Weber – is generally turned into an international hotspot during the Düsseldorf fashion 1898 1898 From fairs. Right next door to Rheinmetall, the collec- tions for the next winter and summer season are presented to the world of fashion, worn by beautiful models on the catwalk. Neither the models nor any prison compound of the other people engaged in the fashion business 1899 1899 are likely to know that they are continuing a 100 Aspirin becomes a 1899 Rheinmetall acquires the year-old tradition. registered trade mark proving ground at Unterlüß Ladies already used to walk up and down the courtyard back in 1916, in full view of the produc- to catwalk tion hall 29 that was under construction at the time. But these ladies were different: they were female 1900 convicts and their catwalk was the prison com-

Start of the Boxer Rebellion 1900 pound called the “Weiberspazierhof”. in China The prison authorities didn’t ﬁ nd the constella- tion terribly amusing in those days. They believed a view of the prison compound should be avoided under all circumstances. The responsible authorities and executive board of Rheinische Metallwaaren- 1901 1901

Rheinmetall acquires the 1901 Henry Dunant is the ﬁ rst und Maschinenfabrik A.G. exchanged a lot of cor- fuse factory at Sömmerda Nobel Peace Prize winner respondence about the rules and regulations applicable to the construction of the hall that was urgently needed for the production of arms in 1916, including an own shooting range with adequate 1909 line-of-sight to enable civil servants to test and

1909 1909 Bernhard Pierburg establishes Stahlhandelsgesell- approve essential military goods. The company em- schaft Gebr. Pierburg oHG phasised the importance of the project – not only in in Berlin the interest of the factory but also with a view to its outstanding relevance for national defence. The construction of the production hall was ultimately given the go-ahead under strict conditions.

Any visual contact with the prison compound was strictly forbidden. It was agreed that the builders would always work behind a two meter high wooden screen preventing any view of the women’s compound. Furthermore, a new boundary wall of

1910 respectable height – namely four meters – and with-

Karl Schmidt establishes 1910 out any openings was to be built! It was strictly for- Deutsche Ölfeuerungs- bidden for the builders to establish contact with the werke in Heilbronn, the prisoners by calling, giving signs, passing them gifts precursor of Kolbenschmidt or anything similar throughout the building project. Incidentally, the prison has since been moved to the neighbouring town of Ratingen, screened off by 1914 high walls and surrounded by 110 hectares of rec- 1914 1914 Start of World War I reational area with two lakes and extensive green areas including a well developed network of paths 1918 used by walkers, cyclists and dogs for leisure time Arms production ban introduced activities today. uv 1918 1918 Rheinische Metallwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik

1918 1918 When media reported in 2011 that Rheinmetall Defence had booked an order to deliver a simulation-based training On 9th November 1918, 1918 The Armistice at Com-

1 93 5 Philipp Scheidemann and piègne on 11th November

– center to Russia, this caused quite a sensation. After all, Russia and the powerful Soviet Union had for many years been Karl Liebknecht proclaim marks the end of World the enemy that needed to be deterred and fought with effective arms like the Leopard 2 main battle tank developed and the German Republic, War I marking the birth of the manufactured with the involvement of Rheinmetall. The geopolitical crisis that we all know as the Cold War didn’t start Weimar Republic, the first Max Planck wins the Nobel 1918 in 1945 but has its origins in the final year of World War I. The October Revolution (1917), the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty parliamentary democracy Prize for Physics with Germany and the formation of the Soviet Union had created a strong antagonism to the “bourgeoisie” states of the in Germany (1918-1933) western hemisphere. These naturally included Germany where communist coups were successfully overcome in the early days of the Weimar Republic. Yet, Germany and the Soviet Union also had common interests. Moscow’s efforts to keep republican Germany out of the association of western powers were in keeping with the urgent desire of many Germans to annul the Treaty of Versailles (that was understood as a humiliation) – even if this involved help from the Soviets.

t was therefore hardly surprising that radio-operators and gunners in tanks and The six heavy tractors – two each from developing trade relations from 1921 combat vehicle crews were given tactical Rheinmetall, Krupp and Daimler-Benz Ionwards were beneficial to the German training there. The Ger- m a n – arrived at Kama in July 1929 and were export industry. Even if there had been a permanent staff in- tested from September onwards. Sadly, realistic chance of an international trade cluded technicians a tragedy occurred right at the begin- agreement between the East and West, and engineers ning when Rheinmetall supervisor Kerres this ultimately failed in 1922 due to the from Krupp and suffered fatal injuries during the first 1919 lack of accord between England and Rheinmetall. amphibian trial in the Kaban Lake Walter Gropius founds the 1919 France. For fear of one of the two parties Rheinme on 30th October 1929. Trials in water Bauhaus School for Design reaching an agreement with the western tall provided were disbanded after the accident. in Weimar powers, the Treaty of Rapallo was there- specially On 4th June 1930, Rheinmetall “light- upon signed on 16th April 1922 by the For- devel- weight tractors” with a 3.7cm cannon and eign Minister of the Soviet Union Georgi a machine gun in a 360° rotating turret arrived at Kama. The performance of these vehicles was so good that they contributed 1920 1920 oped significantly to the technical, tactical and The Salzburg Festival 1920 Piston production is “large firing training of personnel. Nonetheless, is founded started at Deutsche Ölfeuerungswerke in tractors” for the “tractors” were plagued by various Following the arms pro Neckarsulm the purpose. technical problems. Yet as the advance- duction ban stipulated in These were two ment of a tank with a front-mounted en- the Treaty of Versaillles, 16 ton heavy vehi- gine was no longer thought important, the Rheinmetall in Düsseldorf launches manufacture or fundamental locomotives, steam elimination ploughs and other Amazing transformation of technical agricultural equipment problems was considered unneces- 1921 1921

sary. Instead, 1921 From Albert Einstein wins the Due to the non-fulfilment Rheinmetall Nobel Prize for Physics of the Treaty of Versailles, and Krupp French troops occupy the concentrated Rhineland and Ruhr region. on the further This also affects the tractor Rheinmetall factory in development Düsseldorf of the heavy tank at the command of to tank the lieutenant colonel (and 1922

cles equipped with later lieutenant general) Heinz Guderian. 1922 Howard Carter discovers 7.5cm cannons. The Rheinmetall was requested to develop the tomb of Tutankhamen German Army Weapons a heavy tank referred to as the “new con- Agency also gave development struction vehicle”. Rheinmetall engineer orders to Krupp and Daimler-Benz. Jakob Engel who had worked in Kama re- Around 1927/1928 Rheinmetall and called Rheinmetall building two vehicles Krupp also received an order to develop – a tank and turret in mild steel. Although tanks (under the cover name “light-weight these were superior to the contender Chicherin tractors”) of the 9 ton category with an models from Krupp and Daimler-Benz, and his German counterpart Walther armour-piercing 3.7cm weapon. tank developments were to move in a Rathenau. Both the heavy and light-weight trac- different direction in the following years. This triggered a development that also tors delivered to Russia were declared as Extremely heavy armoured vehicles with involved Rheinische Metallwaaren- und agricultural machinery in order to bypass several turrets and large crews proved to Maschinenfabrik in Düsseldorf. Although the export ban under the Treaty of Ver- be technically and tactically inappropri- no secret military agreement had been sailles. This had been negotiated by none ate in the course of the 1930s. Indeed, the 1924

reached between the two states in Ra- other than the Chief of the later Weapons multi-turret tanks from Rheinmetall were 1924 Ernst Alexanderson trans- pallo, the trade agreements nonetheless Agency General a.D. Max Ludwig. It was to be the last of their type ever to be built mits the first fax across the meant that the Soviet Union could receive Ludwig who proposed to the Foreign Of- in Germany. Atlantic military support from Germany while com- fice in Berlin that caterpillar tractors The tank school in Kama was closed panies like Rheinmetall and Krupp were should be delivered to Russia – stating on 15th September 1933 and the vehicles given the opportunity to test weapons that these would serve as chassis for the were returned to Germany via Leningrad and vehicles. The strict arms production tanks. “The tanks would then be further and Szczecin after the seizure of power by 1925 ban under the Treaty of Versailles prohib- extended in Russia. This would warrant Hitler’s national socialist party. The light- 1925 The German Empire acquires a majority stake in ited this in Germany. that the tanks really worked – and the weight and heavy tractors were still used Rheinmetall via VIAG The Kama tank school on the Volga Riv- delivery would not be in violation of the for training purposes at the tank firing er opened in the summer of 1929 was im- Versailles Treaty since caterpillar tractors school at Putlos for several years, after portant for Rheinmetall. Both German and could just as well be used for agricultural which they disappeared in the museums Russian soldiers were trained as drivers, purposes.” of several barracks. lb

Supervisory Board chairman opts for name change 1926

The companies Benz & Co 1926 Rheinische Gasmotoren fabrik Mannheim and Daimler-Motoren- Just a boyish prank? Gesellschaft merge to form Daimler-Benz AG headquartered in Berlin ver the years, numerous prominent personalities have served on the Rheinmetall Supervisory Board, and some of these characters are swathed in mystery for Osome reason or other. One such person is Dr. Ing. H.c. Moritz von der Porten. Born in 1879 in Hamburg, he became one of the most important industrialists of the Weimar Republic. As director general of Vereinigte Aluminiumwerke and Supervisory Board 1927 1927 member of Vereinigte Industrie-Anlagen AG that held a majority stake in Rheinmetall, he The Hindenberg dam 1927 Charles Lindbergh makes chaired the Rheinmetall Supervisory Board between 1929 and 1932. Although von der joining the Island of Sylt the first non-stop flight and mainland is opened from New York to Paris Porten’s biography is fairly well recorded, nobody knows why he suddenly decided to change his first name. Interestingly, the Rheinmetall annual reports from 1931 onwards refer to Max von der Porten, and this is the name referenced in all documents relating to business history. Only the archives of the Technical University of Brunswick have evidence of his original first name Moritz under which Brunswick University also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1921. Oddly, the name change is not mentioned in any of the biographical writings. Nonetheless, there is no doubt whatsoever that it was always the same person – although his first name varied. Even before the national soci- alists came to power, von der Porten left Rheinmetall and served as an advisor for trade and industry to the Turkish government. He emigrated to the USA in 1940 and died in New York on September 6th, 1943 – under the name of Max and not Moritz. lb 1928 1928

he roles were clear: as the puppet master, Walt Disney invents the 1928 Heinrich Ehrhardt dies in Richard Schmidt was the creative head; Gott legendary Micky Mouse Zella-Mehlis T fried Löffelhardt came from one of Europe’s Rheinmetall biggest fairground families. Together, they dreamt of creating an American-style amusement park in in Germany. No sooner said than done! The theme park for which Richard Schmidt had created the Phantasialand puppets opened its gates near the lake by Brühl not far from Cologne on April 30th, 1967. Attractions included a vintage railway and a western express; a cable car crossing the lake was added at a later stage. From its humble beginnings, the leisure center has developed into an impressive 28 hectare amusement park called Phantasialand attracting around 1.75 million visitors each year – an impressive 1929 career for the former mining area. The lake is a October 25: the Wall Street 1929 relic from the open cast lignite mine that existed Crash marks the beginning of the world economic in the area. One of the companies that used to be crisis actively involved in the mine was the present-day Rheinmetall AG. In 1920, Rheinmetall – known as Rheinische Metallwaaren- und Maschinenfabrik AG in those days – had acquired a majority stake in the factory Braunkohle- und Brikettfabrik Berggeist AG 1930 The boxer Max Schmeling 1930 (established in 1908) in order to safeguard the is the world heavyweight power supply for its own steel works. Demand for champion the increasingly expensive fuel had risen in the wake of the industrialisation. The open cast mining sector in the Rhineland flourished, but by 1965 the coal in the Berggeist mine had been extracted so that the mine was shut down. Rheinmetall itself had already divested its share in the mine around 1925 – the reasons for this are still not known. Two years after the shutdown, Schmidt and Löffelhardt transformed the Berggeist mine into an amusement park. In 1974, the first white-water ride was opened and turned out to be a true crowd-puller. Modern-day 1931 1931 The Empire State Building 1931 Deutsche Vergaser-Gesell visitors will hardly find a ride across overtakes the Chrysler schaft mbH is established rough waters exciting. What they want Building as the highest in in Berlin to see is the Temple of the Night the world Hawk or the Deep in Africa theme park with its inverted rollercoaster Black Mamba including terrifying twists and spectacular screws. In hindsight, it has always been an area of intense activity! uv

1932 1932

Mahatma Ghandi is 1932 The Graf Zepelin airship arrested by the British LZ127 starts commercial colonial authorities and operations to South Rheinmetall management ends up in jail goes on hunger strike in America prison (Pune)

he defeat of the German tion of the Ruhr region, Ger- empire in World War I man railway workers joined a T marked the beginning of passive resistance at the be- the most difficult period in Resistance hest of the German govern- Rheinmetall’s history at the ment and its Chancellor Cuno. time: revolutionary activities The occupying powers there- and street fighting, strikes upon tried to establish their and company occupations by to French own railway administration – rioting workers were part of the regie de chemins de fer 1933 1933 everyday life. The conditions de régions occupées, the so- The National Socialist 1933 The company Henschel & of the Armistice Agreement called “Regiebahn”. For this, Party under Adolf Hitler Sohn AG in Kassel wins the and Treaty of Versailles pro- they needed their own loco- comes to power in the first development contract occupation German Empire, marking for the light armoured hibited arms production. The motives and carriages and the end of the Weimar vehicle I lifetime achievement of Hein- depended on support from Republic and beginning of rich Ehrhardt who had retired from “his” Rheinmetall as an old man in Düsseldorf. However, like the management of the Düsseldorf welding the Third Reich 1920 seemingly lay in ruins. He was only able to witness the begin- works of Mannesmann, the Rheinmetall management refused to coop- nings of reconstruction from a distance at Zella-Mehlis. At the time, erate with the occupying forces. The company newspaper of latter day Rheinmetall built locomotives, carriages and agricultural machinery. Rheinmetall-Borsig describes how the French and Belgian troops tried On 14th February 1920, the first carriage left the factory at Ulmen- to seize locomotives for the Franco-Belgian “Regiebahn”. “About a strasse. Only four months later on 14th July, the first locomotive – the dozen finally assembled locomotives stood in the production hall, but steam engine G10 for freight trains was delivered to the German as such acts of violence had been anticipated by the management, 1934 Reichsbahn. From 1922 onwards, Rheinmetall also built locomotives of countermeasures had been taken: the gates were locked, the tracks First TV transmission in 1934 the G12 series – the heaviest freight locomotive of the German Reichs- and railroad switches had been destroyed and vital components re- Germany bahn and the first German standard locomotive according to the an- moved from the machines and hidden.” Ultimately, troops forced their nual report of the company. Although the order was lucrative, proper way into the plant on March 17th, 1923, brought the entire factory to a business development was impossible at the time. One event in par- standstill and seized the locomotives, freight and tank carriages. The ticular has a big influence on the development of the company: the two Rheinmetall management board members Hans Eltze and Her- occupation of the Rhineland and the Ruhr region by Belgian and French mann Potthoff were arrested on grounds of sabotage on March 23rd troops on March 8th, 1921 due to inadequate proposals of the German and April 19th, and imprisoned in the neighbouring Ulmer Höh where government in conjunction with reparation demands. Besides, the “they were joined by Krupp von Bohlen-Halbach and Schageter and his French wanted to take possession of the coal and ore mines in the Ruhr comrades.” Efficient production was impossible under the prevailing region. The Düsseldorf factory of Rheinische Metallwaaren- und conditions. Production largely stood still, and the employees busied Maschinenfabrik was one of the businesses occupied in the Rhine- themselves with tidying up. The passive resistance ended in the sum- land. On May 9th, 1921, French troops marched into Plant V and occu- mer of 1923, as a result of which the Rheinmetall workforce ended its pied the site until September 16th. Riots and strikes were not common strike on September 26th of the same year. In the annual report of that at the time because there was still a precarious level of normality be- year, the management stated that “8,859 workers and civil servants in tween occupying troops, the Düs- seldorf population Derendorf and 1,855 in Rath entered into the new fabrication period”. and the industry during the early days The termination of passive resistance did, however, not mean that the of the French and Belgian occu- occupation of individual parts of the company by the French 1935 1935 pation of Düsseldorf. However, and Belgian troops had also come to an end. The racial ideology of the 1935 The first aluminium plain this changed when the French Large parts of the Düsseldorf Nazi Regime is proclaimed in bearings are manufactured and Belgians occupied the en- plant were su- the Nuremberg Laws by Karl Schmidt GmbH tire Ruhr region on January pervised by 11th, 1923 on the pretext that French troops reparation payments were in the years overdue. As a locomotive and 1924/1925. In carriage manufacturer, Rhein- fact, the occupi- metall was important for the ers didn’t leave occupying troops since only until August 6th, a few days after the occupa- 1925. lb RHEINMETALL-BORSIG AG

1936 1936

The Winter Olympics in 1936 Rheinische Metallwaaren-

1 9 4 5 Garmisch Partenkirchen und Maschinenfabrik AG

– and Summer Olympics and A. Borsig Maschinen- in Berlin are held bau AG in Berlin are under the inﬂ uence of merged to form Red tape abundance even in times of war Nazi propaganda Rheinmetall-Borsig AG 1936 The Afro-American Jesse Owens is the most successful athlete of the “A factory or Summer Olympics

Rheinmetall-Borsig employee and backstroke swimmer Anny Stolte participates in the Berlin piles of paper?” Summer Olympics

n 1943 the German Army was engaged in fi erce combat on the Eastern and Western Front. Numerous Rheinmetall-Borsig AG employ- 1937 Iees had been conscripted and many had already lost their 1937 The biggest explosion in lives on the battlefi eld. Women and forced labourers had Rheinmetall’s history taken their place in arms production. However, something killing 14 people occurs at Unterlüß that still functioned perfectly in spite of all the hardship was the German bureaucracy. Even the weapons production needed for the much hoped for Final Victory (Endsieg) was 1938 1938 slowed down by abundant red tape. This applied both to Crystal Night from 9th to 1938 The plant for production the recruitment of labour – even of forced labourers – and 10th November of nitrocellulose is estab- to the relocation of factories. When the allies started their lished at Aschau am Inn day and night time air raids of major cities like Berlin and Düsseldorf damaging residential buildings and production facilities alike, Rheinmetall-Borsig’s plant management tried to relocate production of the 8.8cm anti-aircraft gun and other important guns to requisitioned property in the allegedly safer eastern regions of the German Reich. On several occasions, this was prevented by red tape. However, the administrators of German thoroughness that survived even in times of war often had no other choice. Only thus was it possible to stop big companies from securing large factory halls to get access to cheap 1939 1939 labour and facilities. In one case, one of the Berlin plant managers of the subsidiary Maget (standing for Maschinen- und Gerätebau The German invasion of 1939 Rheinmetall-Borsig is Tegel) got extremely frustrated when in 1942 the regulatory authorities demanded the usual paperwork for the erection of a new build- Poland on 1st September allocated to the biggest 1939 marks the beginning German corporation, ing to increase production of the MG42 machine gun. They demanded details on building statics, terrain structure, height, the intended of World War II Reichswerke AG production activity and many other things. Like many other vital wartime processes, this administrative procedure was lengthy. In the Hermann Göring end, managing director Priebe got involved and wrote a strongly worded complaint: “Do you want us to build a plant for machine gun production as quickly as possible or do you want us to dump a truckload full of paper in front of your door?” This clearly turned out to be 1940 1940 effective – only a few months later, construction work was completed and production fi nally got under way. lb The brothers Richard and 1940 Charlie Chaplain’s famous Maurice McDonald open fi lm “The Great Dictator” is the fi rst McDonald’s released in New York restaurant in San Bernardino, California

Kolbenschmidt delivers the ﬁ rst large piston with a dia- meter in excess of 500 mm

any forced labourers had to work for Rhein- metall-Borsig in World War II. We wouldn’t A former forced labourer remembers know a lot about their fate if some of them M 1941 1941

hadn’t written letters describing their experience. 1941 On 12th May, Konrad Zuse Rheinmetall-Borsig starts They did this because – to obtain fi nancial compen- presents the Z3 computer, with the development of sation from the trust set up by the German govern- the world’s fi rst functional the four-stage solid-propel- ment and German industry in 1999 – they needed a digital computer lant ballistic rocket Rhein- certifi cate from Rheinmetall proving they had been bote (Rhine Messenger) “I dreamt of subjected to forced labour. One such person was Sascha A. who had worked on the carpenter’s bench at the Düsseldorf-Derendorf plant. “The German workers were kind and warm- hearted. They gave us food to eat.” By contrast, his leaving memories of two of his German colleagues are Henschel develops the Tiger less positive: “Two young Germans called armoured combat vehicle Otto and Kurt worked next to me. Otto was intelligent, wore spectacles and was a fascist 1942 1942 the who wanted to shoot all communists on the On 1st January, 26 states 1942 Höveler & Dieckhaus in camp” sign the founding declara- Papenburg launches plain Eastern Front.” Sascha A. did not say he was tion of the United Nations bearing production treated badly by them. His foreman Johann in Washington D.C. was a member of the national socialist party but Sascha still didn’t think he was inhuman. He described him as a “small man with the fascist symbol 1943 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 1943 Air raids on Rheinmetall- pinned to his suit. He was strict but honest.” starts on 19th April Borsig plants in Düsseldorf One point is particularly touching in the light of the and Berlin cause great suffering of forced labourers at Rheinmetall in widespread damage Düsseldorf, Berlin and elsewhere: “I enjoyed drawing. I started to draw French labourers and they sent the portraits to their homes in France. They gave me pencils and paper and they paid for my artwork with bread, cigarettes and tinned food.” It is not known where he drew the pictures, whether at the forced labour camp in Grashofstrasse or at the factory during breaks from work. Yet the hobby of the talented 1944 1944

forced labourer did not go noticed. “The foreman 1944 Claus Schenk Graf Production of carburettors found out. He showed me a photograph of a ﬁ ve year- Stauffenberg’s attempt by Deutsche Vergaser- old girl. I agreed to produce a portrait of the young to assassinate Hitler on Gesellschaft is moved girl. The girl had died. The portrait of the girl was 20th July fails from Berlin to Lausitz drawn in the dining room for Germans.” The fact that the foreman Johann let Sascha A. into the dining room reserved for Germans shows that foreigners weren’t normally given access to this room but used a separate dining area. In fact, forced labourers were not allowed to use the communal facilities of the Germans; the plans of the Düsseldorf- Derendorf plant show separate communal areas for labourers from Eastern regions. 1945 1945 Another story reported by Sascha A. concerned The Red Army liberates the 1945 For the very ﬁ rst time, an a failed attempt to escape from the prison camp. “I greatest German concen- atom bomb is detonated on dreamt of leaving the camp. My dream came true. tration camp Auschwitz- 16th July in the desert of Birkenau on 27th January New Mexico (USA). I was on the street next to the Art Academy. I was ad- 1945; afterwards the world miring pictures by German painters. Then the police is informed about the At the end of World War II, grabbed me and took me to the Gestapo.” What did atrocities. Rheinmetall-Borsig AG is the Gestapo do to Sascha A? Why didn’t he speak of seized by the victorious allies and the plants are his time there? Perhaps his experience was too pain- occupied ful to remember…. cl Farmers in Brambostel dispossessed ”Access strictly forbidden!”

artmut and Heinrich Johannes from Brambostel are only On May 25th 1945, Rheinmetall-Borsig informed Ernst distant relatives, yet their neighbouring farmsteads and Albert Johannes “that we have no further claim to the Hhave one thing in common: in former times, their utilisation of your property in Brambostel”. But the families respective families were expelled from their farms encountered a lot of problems on their return. Former in- Brambostel 2 and Brambostel 3. habitants of Brambostel had to share their destroyed farm- During World War II, development, production steads with refugees, without electrical power and without and testing activities at Rheinmetall-Borsig were being able to farm their land properly. An architect from Mun- at full-speed, and this wasn’t everything. The ster was requested to rebuild the houses and utility buildings, German Reichswehr had taken over the proving and a British major had the neglected fi elds ploughed with grounds in Unterlüß. The German air force used a small armoured personnel carrier. Theoretically, the cost the shooting range to fi re from the Lorenz posi- of reconstruction should have been borne by Rheinmetall, tion to the west of the main fi re stand and the Ger- but the company’s accounts had been frozen by the Al- man army operated from the Gut Mitte location. lies. Later, Rheinmetall stated that the disposses- All in all, more than 2000 shots were fi red from 20 sion had taken place at the order of the naval different fi ring positions in just one hour. Only 20% headquarters and that Rheinmetall had reaped of all practice fi ring was actually carried out by Rheinmet- no benefi t – and only had a cost burden – from all-Borsig in Unterlüß. In terms of related risks and sequence the dispossession. The dispossessed farmers of fi ring, none of the military services showed any considera- nevertheless insisted they were entitled to com- tion towards each other or towards Rheinmetall,for that mat- pensation payments and successfully claimed damag- ter. Hit patterns had to be collected, fi red cartridges retrieved es ten years later. and special explosive tests conducted. This stopped all fi r- After returning home, neither Albert nor Ernst Jo- ing activities each time this was necessary. Consequently, hannes had feelings of resentment against Rheinmet- a second fi ring range was sought in 1941 but this caused all. Heinrich Johannes reports that his father always problems: the hit area was located on populated farmland claimed that Rheinmetall had lost the war just like the with farmhouses in the district of Brambostel. rest of Germany. He never wanted to sue Rheinmetall for Initially, the inhabitants of Brambostel had to leave their hous- with their families. Whereas Albert Johannes and family were ac- damages, not even in cooperation with the British occupation es and farms at shooting times only. “The area was blocked off tually moved to a farm in the district of Lüneburg in 1944, whose forces.” Hartmut explains: “My father never had to fi ght on the and nobody was given access”, recalls Harmut Johannes. On 6th owner had likewise been dispossessed and – as a hostile Brit- front line. Thanks to the dispossession, he was given the status November 1942, a dispossession order decreed that the farm- ish national – was interned, Ernst Johannes was never allocated of a person who was needed at home in the interest of the pub- land in Brambostel had to be allocated to Rheinmetall-Borsig. a new farm in the war. “We stayed with friends and acquaint- lic. All his comrades who had attended the same basic military From then on, the families were strictly forbidden to enter their ances in Eimke”, recalls his son Hartmut. “We hunted for a living training had died on the Eastern Front. My father survived – due properties. Most of the houses were demolished, large areas of – this was naturally illegal. The hunting rights were likewise with to the dispossession. This is something he never forgot.” woodland were deforested for the shooting range and hit areas, Rheinmetall. Our property was stored in various places, and The second fi ring range no longer exists and the farms of the wood and construction material was sold off. The properties had much of it was burnt when Eimke was defended against the Brit- family Johannes have long since been returned to their right- thus been devalued. Furthermore, a penal colony from Torgau ish forces“. Albert Johannes including his wife and sons Heinrich ful owners. The memory of the dispossession has, however, was housed in a specially converted barn belonging to Albert Jo- and Alfred had to leave their substitute farm immediately after remained alive. The two sons emphasise they bear no grudge hannes. Harmut and Heinrich were still young when their fathers the end of World War II. The British occupiers returned the prop- against Rheinmetall. In fact, Heinrich Johannes’ younger brother Ernst and Albert Johannes had to leave their Brambostel farms erty to the former owner who had been freed. Alfred worked for Rheinmetall for 37 years. cl

“Mouse” 1941 news reel featured something quite extraordinary: it showed super-heavy tanks for the German Army attached to tank A chains fl oating from one position to the next in a factory hall. What onlookers didn’t know and weren’t allowed to know was that the factory was Altmärkische Ketten- werke (Alkett) in Berlin, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall-Borsig AG. Hitler’s glides through hall megalomania was boundless, as evidenced by the architectural plans of Albert Speer. He also wanted the biggest ever weapon system to be built. The self-propelled mortar Karl (“Karl-Device) built by Rheinmetall- Borsig was just one further example of his megalomania. Similar to Krupp’s super-heavy howitzer Big Bertha (Dicke Bertha) from World War I, Karl fi red 40mm rounds against the fortress at Sevastopol in Crimea. Another major project was the “Mouse” super tank also referred to as the “Little Mouse” by some. This tank was neither very small, nor agile or quick, nor was it detected late or did it offer other conceivable advantages. Quite the opposite: it was to be the heaviest enclosed armoured vehicle ever to be seen by the enemy. Originally designed by Porsche and called “Mammoth” (Mamuth), it was renamed “Mouse” because the name was considered more appropriate. The tank was more than ten meters long, approximately 3.7 meters wide and 3.8 meters high. Weighing in at 188 tons (compared to the Leopard 2 A6 MBT that weighs 62 tons), the tank was powered by a 1080 hp engine. In service, the tank consumed 3,800 liters of diesel over a distance of 100 kilometers. Today, a trip would cost around 5,000 . In view of the fuel scarcity in the war, it would have been impossible to operate a complete fl eet of tanks. As with the “Karl” mortar system, it would have been necessary to transport the tank to the front by train, however, the tank was too heavy to cross bridges, and many of the tunnels were too low and narrow. The German Army ordered 150 super-heavy “Mouse” tanks. A total of seven units were started, two prototypes were completed, the fi rst of which on Christmas Eve in 1943; the remaining order was cancelled in 1944. The “Mouse” super tank was never sent to the front and actually never progressed beyond the trial phase. One prototype still exists because the Soviets seized the remaining Alkett prototype; the vehicle hull is on display at the Kubinka tank museum near Moscow. cl Dallas in Unterlüß Electric cranes from Rheinmetall Optimized e f fi c i e n c y

he view from Heidelberg Castle In November 1951, an order was won mediate storage and carry out parallel onto the River Neckar is world fa- for a 5 ton electric crane with loading cargo handling operations without seri- T mous. Whereas the natural part of bridge for the inland port in Heidelberg. ous loss of time”. In conclusion, it was the river is largely used by sports and The customer was the municipal public stated that the loading bridge had prov- tourist boats, the channelled section of utility company that had formerly unload- en to be particularly successful from a the Neckar is used by freight vessels. To ed coal for its own gas and remote heat- technical and commercial standpoint. load and unload, they often approach ing plant in the harbour. The potential of The return on investment had thus been the sluice at Wiblingen which saw a buzz the cargo handling site was soon appar- ensured. of activity in the 1950s. ent, so that related activities were ex- Unfortunately, this positive assess- Rheinmetall AG wanted to be involved panded. The powerful crane system from ment did not hold true for the crane con- in the transhipment of coal, coke, gravel, Rheinmetall needed for this purpose was struction business in Düsseldorf. Rhein- sand, gypsum and general cargo. After set to work in December 1952. metall AG therefore decided to close World War II, Düsseldorf announced its in- Rheinmetall reaped a lot of praise down its loss-bringing department T/V tention to focus on civil activities to utilise from the south-west of the country. The and mobile cranes in spite of the excel- its capacities: a project whose proﬁ tability 1952 annual report of the Heidelberg lent customer satisfaction. The crane- was – to say the least – doubtful. Yet the municipal public utility company noted builders may have been consoled by the executive board remained adamant and that “thanks to the new loading bridge, fact that far more ships were able to leave established the department “T/V (transport it is now possible to use the existing the port fully loaded thanks to their sys- and loading facilities) and mobile cranes”. premises much more efﬁ ciently for inter- tem in Heidelberg… uv

Arms manufacture To be or not to be?

etween 1945 and 1956, West Germany showed an astonishing change of heart with regard to arms manufacture: on BDecember 16th, 1949, all factions of the German Parliament had unanimously voted against any defence contribution by West Germany: only three years later in February 1952, during the Cold War era that also saw the start of the Korean War, the same parliament voted in favour of a defence contribution. Rheinmetall-Borsig AG had long since taken the view that it should be involved in rearmament – which is also why the Düsseldorf site had been kept artiﬁ cially alive. Yet the subject was still quite taboo in the general public. The CEO at that time, Dr. Werner Köttgen, used every opportunity to proclaim that Rheinmetall would concentrate on civil markets. There were three good reasons for this ambivalent behav- iour: Firstly, Rheinmetall was co-owned by the German state. Fur- thermore, the ﬁ nance secretary Fritz Schäffer had stated clearly that Bonn (the German capital at that time) would not be willing to invest in arms production and would purchase weapons from abroad to arm its forces. Secondly, the government was negotiating the sale of Rheinmetall-Borsig AG with several interested parties and these negotiations were not to be disturbed by discussions about arms manufacture. Thirdly, Rheinmetall-Borsig still had the plant in Ber- lin-Tegel. Any statement that might indicate that arms manufacture could take place in Berlin (strictly forbidden by the Allies) would be perfect fodder for the East German media. In 1956, the Röchling group acquired Rheinmetall; the Borsig plant was sold off to the Salzgitter Group practically at the same time. After that, Rhein- metall as a privatised company was able to commence manufacture for the German armed forces and NATO allies unhindered. lb

1947 US Secretary of State George C. 1949 Marshall announces the basic NATO is founded on 4th April principles of the Marshall Plan for the recovery of Europe Konrad Adenauer is elected 1946 the fi rst Chancellor of the The victorious allies USA, Soviet Federal Republic of Germany 1951 Union, Great Britain and France Carl Djerassi, Gregory Pincus create a post-war order for the and John Rock develop the fi rst world contraceptive pill 1950 Winston Churchill warns about 1948 Rheinmetall Düsseldorf Rheinmetall commences pro- the Soviet power in Europe and Mahatma Gandhi is assas- launches production of trans- duction of offi ce machines in speaks of the Iron Curtain sinated on 30th January port and conveyance systems Düsseldorf

1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951

The disassembly order is issued Alfred Pierburg re-establishes Blockade of West Berlin by Mao Zedong proclaims the Kolbenschmidt in Neckarsulm Atlas Werke in Bremen start for the Rheinmetall-Borsig plants Deutsche Vergaser Gesell- the Soviet Union; the Western People’s Republic of China and casts the ﬁ rst cylinder heads producing the ﬁ rst radar and this is partly applied until schaft in Neuss Allies introduce the Berlin introduces a communist state for Porsche units 1949 Airlift initiative. In Trittau, Hanns-Jürgen Alfred Pierburg set up car- Maschinenbau Kiel AG (MaK) Diederichs sets up his own burettor production in the com- is established for the pro- pyrotechnics business pany Robert Kahrmann Nettetal- duction of locomotives and Lobberich engines –

1946 1 9 5 6 cl lb After the sale of Borsig to the Salzgitter group, Rheinmetall- Borsig AG is renamed as Rheinmetall AG. rst SolexThe Register fi carburettors are manufactured by Pierburg large in series 1956 Death of the German writer Berthold Brecht 1956 a bone of conten- a bone of condition became became condition the tion between in a serviceable in a serviceable Union chines that were still still were that chines Soviet military ad- military Soviet buildings and ma- buildings ministration, the interim the interim ministration, 1945 onwards the few the few onwards 1945 ermany had lost World War War World lost had ermany and the Red 1945 II in May the Berlin, occupied Army management board of of board management Tegel: from the summer of of the summer from Tegel: metall-Borsig AG Rheinmetall-Borsig plant in plant Rheinmetall-Borsig Destalinization and Berlin. This also affected the affected also This Berlin. would later be declared West West be declared later would city was divided up among the up among divided was city German capital. Even before the before Even capital. German withdrew Soviets and the Allies Berlin, parts of the eastern to the latter had taken swift ac- swift taken had the latter what for facts creating tion by G Rheinmetall-Borsig now located located now Rheinmetall-Borsig Violent repression of the coexistence under Nikita Khrushchev in the Soviet foreign policy of peaceful a majority stake in Rhein- RHEINMETALL-BORSIG AG RHEINMETALL-BORSIG ian Uprising by the Soviets The Röchling family acquires Poznań UprisingHungar- and Poznań in the eastern part of the city, the French military gov- military the French the city, part of in the eastern the magistrate Tegel, in ce offi ernment, the mayor’s the western of and the trustees Berlin of the city of wrangling this – and all Rheinmetall-Borsig of assets de- a hopelessly of the backdrop against place took the chaos grasp to hard is it In hindsight, city. stroyed all the Allies Basically, Tegel. in the plant surrounding Initially, themselves. for assets the remaining wanted establish- and after its Tegel in ce offi the mayor’s the requisition tried to Berlin of ment, the magistrate alia, (inter workshop repair the city as plant Tegel was This network). the transport of the repair for Soviets, the of claims compensation by countered begin To 1945. 30th, after June the French by followed a as plant Tegel the use to agreed the French with, clear became when it But in Berlin. site maintenance Soviet the from came orders work the of most that The their consent. withdrew they Zone, Occupation had – as in 1947 the military by occupied was plant – dis- Army Soviet the with been the case previously out. carried actually not but initiated was assembly of the know-how tap to wanted the French Apparently tried and unsuccessfully Tegel in workers specialist In the end, the France. to move them to persuade to contrac- construction machinery the Berlin let French work repair out carrying – who was Schwartzkopff tor not was Order the site. – have magistrate the city for been had Agreement Petersberg the until restored disassembly 22nd, 1949: on November concluded per- granted was plant Tegel and the stopped was machinery traditional its With operate. to mission Borsig the former been the pride of had that products workers production, locomotive with along company the recon- to contribute to able nally fi were Tegel at Berlin. of the city of struction 1955 The German Bundeswehr is established Death of Albert Einstein, developed who physicist the theory of relativity , and of Thomas Mann, German writer and Nobel Prize winner Rheinmetall acquires license rights to manufacture the MG42 1955 operation Allied any listeners tuned their to in radios on the evening of August 24th, will have been surprised 1949, by what they heard. Arnold von Borsig, from a well-known industrialist family, claimed on RIAS broadcast station that the Borsig family practically had been dispossessed by the German Reich a production system for pressure casting process Kolbenschmidt acquires a Yet what gave Arnold von Borsig the idea in the fi rst place? In 1930, the traditional locomotive manufac- locomotive the traditional In 1930, place? rst in the fi the idea Borsig von Arnold gave what Yet license for low- aluminium our monobase propellants into propellantsmonobase into Nitrochemie Aschau in takes

and Rheinmetalland when 1993 Rheinmetall in took possession of the plant Berlin-Tegel. in With the of aid the French military government the and Berlin magistrate, Borsig intended bring to legal action against Rheinmetall. Nothing ever came of it because both the city of Berlin the and French were really only look- aftering their own interests. division the locomotive of the sale Even Depression. the Great of in the wake bankrupt went Borsig turer pre- had family Borsig The Tegel. in say the had now banks creditor The bankruptcy. prevented have wouldn’t been for not it had succeeded nearly which consortium nancial fi a Dutch to the company sell tried to viously the arms to premises the factory allocate to decided already had that power ruling Socialist the new National government German The Rheinmetall. was Tegel in invest to willing parties the interested of One industry. conditional Reich the of rearmament the in involvement its making board, executive the on pressure put price whatever and at whosoever to the business of the sale this, of Irrespective in Berlin. on manufacture the After 1945, a sale. from t benefi to stood the creditors since family helped the Borsig have hardly would of many since failed This principles. moral of violation in being for 1933 of the contracts nullify tried to family turned and up give didn’t Borsig von Arnold war. of turmoil the following traced be longer no could events the of prospect his Although Rheinmetall. with found was settlement amicable an 1950, In public. general the to the troublemaker. rid of get to DM in order 150,000 paid Rheinmetall slim, was court at success M wrangling 1954 The “Miracle rst of Bern”: for the fi time in history, a German football team wins the World Cup Final Ernest Hemingway wins the Nobel Prize for Literature A large part of non-military production at Rheinmetall in Düssel- dorf is shut down due to non- tability profi 1954 Theodor Heuss is elected the rst president of thefi Federal GermanyRepublic of The rearmament of the Federal Republic of Germany and its inclusion in NATO is agreed in the Paris Agreements cl

tion. duc- “Give us oil pro- oil insufﬁ cient cient insufﬁ ceased due to due to ceased

drilling was was drilling factory back!” ond Texas: in 1963, in 1963, Texas: ond not develop into a sec- into develop not

of the Lüneburg Heath did Heath the Lüneburg of 1953 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing rstNorgay to climb are the ﬁ Mount Everest (8848 m) Josef succes- Stalin his dies; sor is Nikita Khrushchev On 17th June, popular uprising in the German Democratic Republic Oerlikon opens a test center for arms and munitions in Ochsenboden a mini-Dallas and the southern part a mini-Dallas

deswehr –Unterlüß was not transformed into into transformed not was –Unterlüß deswehr in Unterlüß

859 saw the beginning of an oil rush on the Lüneburg on the Lüneburg rush an oil of the beginning saw 859 search- while been discovered had Gold” “Black – Heath the west to some 20 kilometers Wietze, in lignite for ing things changed with the foundation of the German Bun- German the of the foundation with changed things proving grounds, approval was initially granted. However, However, granted. initially was approval grounds, proving was no longer interested in the military utilisation of the of utilisation in the military interested no longer was desire to drill for oil there in 1952. As the government itself itself the government As 1952. in there oil for drill to desire grounds after the end of World War II, there was once more a more once was II, there War World end of after the grounds tion drillings conducted in 1922 were, however, unsuccess- however, were, in 1922 conducted tion drillings the use to forbidden been had Rheinmetall since Yet ful.

of Celle. Large oil reserves were also thought to exist under under exist to thought also were reserves oil Large Celle. of explora- First in Unterlüß. grounds proving the Rheinmetall 1 1952 6th February: Coronation of Elizabeth II as queen and head of state of the United Commonwealth Kingdom and Nations of

1952 Dallas RHEINMETALL BERLIN AG

1957

Rheinmetall starts 1957 production in Düsseldorf 1 9 8 9 of the MG 42 and 20mm – Weird cannon for the German Bundeswehr 1956 1959

1959 January 1: The revolutio- naries under Fidel Castro crackers come to power in Cuba n a Carnival Monday in the 1930s, a Rheinmetall cannon shot sweets into the air. The fi ring device had been built for the O Düsseldorf Carnival Corps. The order presented quite a chal- lenge since the cannon was supposed to produce a bang without causing the sweets to taste of gunpowder. Besides, fi red sweets were 1960

not to injure any of the Carnival revellers. In the end, the cannon ex- Kolbenschmidt builds a 1960 ceeded all expectations which is hardly surprising as Professor Dr. modern aluminium smelt- ing plant in Neckarsulm e. h. Carl Waninger – a leading naval systems designer of the 1920s and 1930s at Rheinmetall – had participated in the development. In his memoirs aptly entitled Knallbonbons (meaning crackers), the man who was later to become managing director of defence activities at Rheinmetall GmbH recalled this astonishing event. Subtitled “Die merkwürdigen Kanonaden eines alten Konstrukteurs” (“the weird 1961 1961 August 13: Construction 1961 April 12: Yuri Gagarin is the cannonade of an old designer”), the 249 page book mainly written of the Berlin Wall gets fi rst human to fl y into outer in the third person gives many interesting details about patented under way space onboard the Vostok 1 designs of the bearded professor. His staff often referred to him as spacecraft the “cannon Christ” due to his head of hair, something Carl Waninger thought worthy of mention – and not without reason. uv

1962

Rheinmetall’s fi rst diversifi - 1962 cation into the packaging business with the acquisi- Antitrust dispute relating to WMF AG tion of Benz & Hilgers

1963 1963

November 22: Assassina- 1963 Kolbenschmidt commences tion of US President John F. plain bearing production at Kennedy in Dallas. Lyndon St. Leon-Rot B. Johnson becomes the No-Go 36th President of the USA for Rheinmetall

he German national press had some unu- reason for a formal prohibition order. Indeed, 1964 1964

sual news in February 1981. Unexpect- what Rheinmetall CEO Dr. Hans-Ludwig Hockel Martin Luther King is 1964 Manufacture of multiple- T edly, the German Antitrust Authorities claimed in front of the press sounded quite ab- awarded the Nobel Peace base propellant powder had rejected the acquisition of the tradition- surd: nobody could honestly assume that tank Prize launched at Nitrochemie al WMF company by the Rheinmetall group. weapons and cutlery or pots and pans would Why did Rheinmetall want to buy WMF? For attract the same customers. But the Antitrust many years, the defence-oriented company Authority had its reasons for turning down the had been trying to purchase a profi table and request: WMF already held a strong position strong civil business. But most of the related on the technical consumer goods market and engineering company shareholdings were the fi nancial strength of Röchling was likely to highly unprofi table. The acquisition of WMF reinforce this position. The proceedings lasted – the former major shareholder was loosely four years – ultimately leading to an applica- related to the Röchling family which was the tion for ministerial approval. In a preliminary 1965 1965 The fi rst Leopard 1 main majority shareholder of Rheinmetall – was to informal meeting at the ministry, the Rhein- battle tank manufactured bring a change of fortune. Until the “No” came metall executive board was then persuaded by Krauss-Maffei and MaK from Berlin. In the following weeks, months to dispense with the formal application. And in Kiel is handed over to the and years, Rheinmetall lawyers tried hard to when a strong investor suddenly appeared German Bundeswehr convince the Antitrust Authorities that Rhein- from nowhere, Rheinmetall gave up the WMF

metall and WMF would not be operating in the project in 1985 and invested in Pierburg ... but 1969 1969

same market sectors – normally this was the that is another story. lb July 21: At 3:56 CET, Neil 1969 Kolbenschmidt acquires Armstrong is the fi rst hu- the plain bearing plant from man being to step onto the Höveler & Dieckhaus in lunar service after the Apol- Papenburg lo 11 moon landing

1970

At long last: December 7: German 1970 Chancellor Willi Brandt kneels down in front of the memorial for victims of the Making the Warsaw Ghetto 1971

1971 The fi rst Marder infantry fi ghting vehicle manufactured by Henschel in Kassel is handed over to the mark at 125 German Bundeswehr 1972

1972 “Black September” during the Munich Olympic Games book was to be written to celebrate Rheinmetall’s centenary when Palestinian terrorists – a book that was to consist of seven volumes: one volume take members of the Israeli A for the company history and another six describing the his- team hostage tory of weapons technology. In the end, the executive board called off the project in 1985 because it was too expensive. Another attempt was made in 1987. This time, the tome was to consist of one 1973 volume only, written by a military historian. He duly set about the A wildcat strike is initiated 1973 task of studying the relevant documents and literature, and before at Pierburg; this ultimately leads to the abolishment of even delivering his fi rst interim report, handed in the fi rst bill; the low-income group this was followed by complete silence until Rheinmetall sent him birthday wishes in February 1989, the year of the centenary, and asked for the results of his work. These came in form of 111 pages, describing Rheinmetall’s history up to the Third Reich. More was 1974 never received. Dr. Brauner, the chairman of the executive board 1974 July 7: The German football at that time, thus had no choice but to inform guests invited to team wins the World Cup Final against the Nether- the centenary celebrations that the group had deliberately chosen lands in Germany not to have a special centenary publication written! The centenary book had simply disappeared... cl 1975 1975 Contraves GmbH in Stockach – today operating under the name of Rhein- metall Soldier GmbH – is The “fast established

1976 1976

Apple is founded by Steve 1976 Pierburg acquires the first Jobs and Steve Wozniak shares in the Spanish company Carbureibar S.A. in breeder” Spain, today known as Pierburg SA. On Abadiano from Geislingen

heinmetall was not only known for its automatic firearms but also for rapid cooking – thanks to Rthe revolutionary WMF Super 3 pressure cooker developed by Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, 1977 aka WMF. Between 1980 and 1985, the well-known October 13 – 17: the Lands 1977 company belonged to Rheinmetall Berlin AG. hut aircraft is hijacked and flown to Mogadishu where Researchers from the WMF headquarters in Geis- it is freed by German GSG9 lingen an der Steige had succeeded in fitting a third special forces cooking stage. Similar to the “fast breeder” nuclear reactor, this turbo cooker was designed to produce 1978

fuel – of the edible type in this case. 1978 Kolbenschmidt starts WMF launched the biggest advertising campaign piston production at the ever for a pressure cooker to spread the news about US plant Marinette the shorter cooking times. Buyers didn’t hesitate and soon made the “fast breeder” from Geislingen 1979

the season’s top selling product. The Super 3 has 1979 Rheinmetall commences long since become a cult object and spares for the series production of the cooker are in high demand on Ebay. 120 mm smooth-bore uv cannon for the Leopard 2

1980

Atlas Elektronik in Bremen 1980 develops the first training simulator for the Leopard 2 main battle tank From the radio telescope in Eschweiler to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko

1981

August 12: the US 1981 company IBM presents the IBM 5150, the first Rheinmetall personal computer (PC)

he reason for Rheinmetall’s first space venture with the Ariane 5 1982 in 1982 MaK in Kiel receives the launcher that lifted off from the Kourou spaceport in March 2004 is development order for the T given on page 15 of this special Newsline edition. Actually, mem- Keiler mine-clearing tank bers of the Rheimetall group had already actively taken part in space research even before then – for instance, the Düsseldorf-based company Aviatest GmbH. On the initiative of the phys- space icist and undersecretary of North Rhine-Westphalia Professor Leo Brandt, who was also a member of the Rheinmetall Supervisory Board, Aviatest was to participate in European space projects. Unfortunately, the Eldo A 1983

Launcher developed in Trauen, Lower Saxony, for which Aviatest had built the test rigs never made it into space. Series-production of an 1983 Alkett, a Rheinmetall subsidiary in Berlin, had already made it possible to observe and study the skies as early as 1956. electronic carburettor gets Alkett delivered the two drives for the telescope mirror of the radio telescope located near Bad Münstereifel on the edge under way at Pierburg of the Eifel: the azimuth drive for horizontal rotation and the elevation drive for vertical rotation of the mirror. “Both drives are still fully functional today”, says Dr. Wolfgang Herrmann; the retired physicist readjusts the mirror daily. In fact, the radio telescope in Eschweiler is today a museum of technology belonging to the trust of North Rhine-Westphalia from where burnt-out, collapsed suns, so-called pulsars whose radio emissions can be received on earth, can be observed. lb

1984

Kolbenschmidt AG is 1984 floated on the stock exchange

1985

1985 July 7: Aged 17, Boris Becker is the first German Glue and also the youngest tennis player ever to win Furthermore, the DVG (Deutsche Vergaser Gesellschaft) car- the Wimbeldon Lawn Tennis Championship in burettor company existing at the time was not responsible for many of the defects that were clearly attributable to the carbu- tank rettor. Peter Klotzbach remembers that many VW Beetles ex- 1986 ported to the USA were loaded onto ships in Bremerhaven. “For Rheinmetall buys Pierburg 1986 this, it was necessary to fill the cars with just enough GmbH in Neuss and creates fuel to drive them onto and off the ship and not its Automotive division more. This frequently meant that the Beetle engines wouldn’t start when the ship finally arrived at its destination in America. In fact, once none of the VW Beetle en- 1987 gines could be started on arrival in 1987 Rheinmetall builds a hall the USA. Who took the blame? The for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC hall) carburettor, of course, in other testing in Unterlüß words us at Pierburg! The car- othing could be better for a burettors were examined and it manufacturer of bulk prod- was found that the float needle ucts than to achieve a prod- valves were completely glued 1988 N Rheinmetall and Mauser 1988 uct defect rate of zero. This natu- up. “Stuck” or “glued up” nee- Oberndorf develop the rally also applies to Pierburg, but dle valves were sometimes at- double calibre cannon was not always attainable in the tributable to a carburettor pro- MK 35/50 mm Rh 503 days of carburettor production in duction fault, but this time the Neuss. Yet, the carburettor wasn’t problem was caused by some- the sole cause of engine problems. thing quite different: residues of 1989 1989 “In those days, if a car didn’t start glue were found and it transpired November 9: Fall of the 1989 Kolbenschmidt acquires Berlin Wall and opening of the pistons business of properly or the engine sputtered, that Pierburg was not to blame the border between East Société Mosellane de everybody immediately thought it for the problem. The tank truck and West Germany Pistons (SMM) in Basse- was the carburettor,” recalls the former that had refuelled the VW Beetles Ham near Thionville in Pierburg engineer Peter Klotzbach. “In in Bremerhaven had previously been France fact, we often found that the problem lay used to transport glue – and hadn’t been elsewhere. Sometimes, the car manufactur- rinsed properly. This meant the Beetles ers themselves had caused the problem. Still, the had not only been filled with fuel but also with immediate reaction was to blame the carburettor.” Pattex glue. lb RHEINMETALL BERLIN AG/RHEINMETALL AG

1990 1990

The Berlin Wall is fi nally 1990 Rheinmetall buys Kieler demolished Panzerbaugesellschaft 2000 2000 MaK, the present-day – he story goes like this: the communications technology company Richard Iraqi troops invade Kuwait Rheinmetall Landsysteme Hirschmann GmbH & Co. KG in Neckartenzlingen near Nürtingen is in fi - (Second Gulf War) GmbH, from Krupp nancial diffi culty. A new management is brought in to restructure the German reunifi cation 1989 T A lively company and prepare it for sale. These are the basic facts behind the novel entitled “Nur Vögel können fl iegen” (Only birds can fl y). In reality, the sale of Hirschmann was a success: in fact, the electronics specialist was bought by the Rheinmetall group in 1997. Dr. Lothar Ulsamer, the former press of- imagination fi cer of Hirschmann, has used elements of his professional and personal life in his thriller. The book is the fi rst of several regional crime novels. 1991 1991

r. Lothar W. Ulsamer has made 1991 It is not by chance that the two pro- actions. Nonetheless, Jablonsky – the KS Gleitlager establishes Ceasefi re with Iraq ends tagonists of the story Markus Petermann grand master of the solar sect and one quite a name for himself as a its fi rst production site on the Second Gulf War and Roy Lester are based on the charac- of the new manag- Dwriter of thrillers in his home the US continent town of Esslingen near Stuttgart. German parliament decides ters of the former Hirschmann managing directors to move from Bonn to Berlin ing director Richard G. Hirschmann and of the Pe- Many readers interpreted his fi rst novel “Nur Vögel können the press offi cer Dr. Lothar Ulsamer. termann Mickhail Gorbachev steps fl iegen” (Only birds can The story reads well and it is soon clear facto- down as President of the fl y) as a disclosure story Soviet Union that Ulsamer is an experienced writer, ry – about events at the although the plot is somewhat strange. i s former electronics spe- The build-up of tension is intentional: cialist Hirschmann; the entrepreneur couple Petermann is to after all, Ulsamer be got rid of, a plot that is masterminded had for many by a psycho sect and a drug cartel that years worked as intend to take control of the business. press offi cer for The two new managing directors Jablon- Hirschmann – a The Soviet Union offi cially sky and Meierle are reckless villains who member of the ceases to exist operate a tough regime to restructure Rheinmetall the company and happily fi re loyal staff group between without reason. 1997 and 2000 – 1992 1992

The attempted murder of Mrs Peter- and partly based The Maastricht Treaty on 1992 Rheinmetall gives up its mann, the wife of the former managing the novel on his the European Union is traditional company director, with a delivery van takes place own experiences. signed premises in Düsseldorf against this backdrop. To fi nd out who is The 61 year-old fa- Galileo Galilei is formally behind the attack, Lester persuades the ther of three daugh- rehabilitated by the Roman Petermans to hide in the Scottish High- ters who has held Catholic Church lands. The ex press offi cer Lester like- ulti- senior management wise wants to get himself and his family mate- positions in communica- out of the way. So he packs up, takes ly ex- tions for many years spoke his wife and children and drives all the posed. For to Newsline about the region- way to the coastal town of Loch Eriboll lack of alter- al bestseller published in 1997. in the north of Scotland. As expected, natives, Jablon- Newsline: Why did you decide to start writing crime novels alongside your job in the industry? Ex-Hirschmann press offi cer writes regional crime novels Ulsamer: In the early nineties, ru- mours about Hirschmann and its fi nan- 1993 1993

cial diffi culties were rife in Esslingen. Rheinmetall commences 1993 Dissolution of Czecho- As the press offi cer of Hirschmann at disassembly of East slovakia, creation of the the time, I was a fi rst hand witness to German ammunition in Czech Republic and Villains, rams the evil machinations of the dubious Weichensdorf Slovakia management board that had taken Five Turkish women and a over. I came to write the novel because girl die as a result of a I felt a need to inform the local popula- Neo-Nazi arson attack in tion – and especially the workforce of Solingen and craggy rocks Hirschmann – and to overcome my per- Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser sonal frustration. Arafat sign the agreement the holiday doesn’t go smoothly: the vil- sky commits suicide and the second Newsline: How was the book re- granting Palestinians ceived by its readers? extensive autonomy in the lains pursuing Petermann are hard on managing director Meierle escapes. All is occupied territory his heels. If only Petermann hadn’t rung well that ends well: the sale of the Peter- Ulsamer: The response was very good considering I was a relatively his sister on her birthday and told her his mann company goes through, supported unknown writer. I sold around 7,000 whereabouts. by Petermann and Lester. Petermann as- copies. The drama and tension rise: hav- sumes a representative role in the com- Newsline: Did you enjoy writing the ing met up at the Golf Hotel, the Pe- pany and his press offi cer remains loyal book? termanns and Lester are still not safe to him. Ulsamer: Oh yes, immensely. Un- from the villainous members of the sect Criminal novels with a regional fl a- like in my real-life job, I was able to let in Scotland. In spite of Lester’s con- vour are all the rave in Germany. Ul- my imagination run wild and allow my tacts with the local police, their place samer who studied social sciences in characters to develop without actu- of hiding is soon found out. This time, Tübingen and Würzburg has chosen to ally knowing how the book would end 1994 1994

the criminals try to kill Petermann. For- follow suit. He deliberately picks Es- when I started. Nelson Mandela elected as 1994 MaK presents the air-trans- tunately, Lester just manages to save slingen by the River Neckar (his former Newsline: Why did you choose the fi rst black president of portable armoured fi ghting Petermann by telling his former boss place of work, renamed as Kelterburg in Stuttgart and Scotland as the two South Africa vehicle Wiesel 2 and friend to hide in a sand bunker. The the novel) as the location for the fi rst main settings for your story? Michael Schumacher is the exciting story continues as the Peter- part of the book – although Hirschmann Ulsamer: The two places offer a fi rst German Formula 1 manns pack up and move to a holiday had actually moved from there to Neck- fantastic contrast: on the one hand, World Champion home in the vicinity. artenzlingen, many of the staff were there is the densely populated region The chase continues: Lester outwits still living there. The Scottish Highlands around the River Neckar in Germany the villains and escapes in a fi shing boat. with their hills and craggy rocks offered and then the superb scenery in Scot- In spite of various hints, the hero still the perfect scenery for villains, rams land that offers a perfect setting for doesn’t know who is masterminding the and gunslingers. ann chasing villains. ann The end of a 1995 1995

Pierburg presents the fi rst 1995 Steve Fossett is the fi rst magnesium intake manifold man to cross the Pacifi c Ocean in a balloon tradition The Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassi- heinmetall and Düsseldorf – the two were closely connected for over a hundred years. Heinrich nated in Tel Aviv Ehrhardt had acquired the agricultural land from the widow Scheuten in 1889 and built a production building on it where around 1,500 people then manufactured cartridges for the infantry Dayton Peace Agreement R on Bosnia-Herzegovina rifl e of the German Reich. When World War I broke out 25 years later, the workforce had risen to around 8,000 people, mainly engaged in the manufacture of cannons. The factory at Düsseldorf- Christo and Jeanne-Claude Derendorf grew to an appreciable size, extending as far as the area now accommodating the whole- wrap the German Reichstag sale market. The company was downsized signifi cantly after 1945 – and even shut down for a while. building in Berlin The creation of the German Bundeswehr injected new life into the plant and for 35 years Rhein- metall manufactured products for the Bundeswehr and NATO allies: for example, the MG 42, the Mk 20 Rh 202 twin-gun anti-aircraft system and the 120 mm smooth-bore gun. However, the fall of the Berlin Wall signalled the end of the site. Rheinmetall was once more forced to downsize. While the administration moved to a new facility in Ratingen, development and production were moved to Unterlüß in Lower Saxony. A long tradition in Düsseldorf had come to an end after 103 years. lb 1996 1996

Last of 210 French nuclear 1996 The German Navy is tests at Mururoa atoll equipped with the 27 mm Drakon anti-aircraft gun Jan Philipp Reemstma is from Mauser Oberndorf Why not call kidnapped for 32 days The Pay TV channel DF1 starts digital television broadcasts in Germany 1989 – the year of Rhein- Rheinmetall engineering business into Germany wins the Euro- metall’s centenary. But the key division of the pean Football Champion- which Rheinmetall was group. By renaming Rhein- ship for the third time actually meant? Opinions metall Berlin AG as Jagen- thanks to the golden goal by Oliver Bierhoff differed at the time. Ever berg AG, Brauner hoped since 1956 the group had to strengthen the focus on Birth of the sheep Dolly, the Jagenberg? ﬁ rst mammal to be cloned tried to establish a second civil activities and raise equally strong civil sec- the general awareness of tor alongside the military Rheinmetall as a group business. This really only succeeded with the acquisition of Jagen- that was not only engaged in the defence market. berg Werke in 1981 and Pierburg GmbH in 1986. Rheinmetall GmbH, This concept never materialised. The defence sector protested, at that time the name of the company responsible for defence activi- believing the identity of the entire group was at stake. People at ties, quite understandably thought it best represented the tradition Jagenberg were likewise not in favour of the idea of conducting de- of the Rheinmetall group. fence activities under the name of Jagenberg. And Pierburg similarly Dr. Hans U. Brauner, CEO of Rheinmetall Berlin AG at the time, feared it would lose its identity, all the more so as it had already lost who held close ties with the civil business units, had a different the trademark “Solex” with the disappearance of the carburettor. point of view which was hardly surprising as he was also the CEO In the end, it all came to nothing and Rheinmetall was allowed to of Jagenberg AG. Consequently, Brauner was keen to transform the keep its name – up to this very day. lb 1997 1997

Rheinmetall buys 1997 The Labour Party under Kolbenschmidt AG in Tony Blair wins the General Neckarsulm that is merged Elections in the UK with Pierburg to form the present-day KSPG AG End of British rule of Hong group Kong and transfer of sovereignty to China

The Pathfi nder space probe with the Sojouner vehicle n the early 1990s, the company First Au- the product in China. Under a joint ven- Chinese because they already got held up lands on Mars tomobile Works (FAW) from the People’s ture between Volkswagen AG and FAW in in Moscow for two days due to immigration IRepublic of China acquired a part of the Changchun, North China, the carburettor formalities. And since not all of the workers carburettor production from Pierburg in was to be fi tted in Audi 100, VW Golf and sat in the same carriage and some of them Nettetal, a small town located on the banks VW Jetta cars built under license in China. failed to get off the train in Düsseldorf and of the River Rhine, not far from the Dutch bor- “To achieve this, the Chinese needed the mistakenly travelled on to Essen or Cologne, der. The Nettetal production lines for large complete production facilities which we the Pierburg project team faced unexpected Princess Diana, the fi rst carburettor series were no longer needed were able to provide”, says the former plant problems. “We had to get in touch with the wife of the British crown for the domestic market since tighter EU manager who was with Pierburg GmbH for German railway mission to fi nd out how to prince Charles, dies following a car accident in Paris emission regulations for cars with gasoline 42 years. return the “lost” travellers to their original engines meant the carburettor technology In 1990, he and his predecessor Karl destination. In many cases, our drivers had had to be replaced by catalytic converters. Evelbauer, who had originally established to rescue our Chinese guests from various To prepare for the handover of the systems contact with the Chinese and prepared the places”. All in all, three groups of 20 came to FAW, the largest automaker in the Peo- sales process for the production facility, to Germany for training. All of them were ple’s Republic of China at that time, around travelled to China to sign the sales con- familiarised with the new task relatively 1998 1998 65 Chinese employees came to Nettetal for tracts. “I was really impressed by the way quickly, recalls Fredrich. Death of Pol Pot in 1998 The fi rst aluminium cast Cambodia series-engine block is a two month training that was carried out our meals with the Chinese were celebrat- The Chinese guests lived in a converted manufactured in in several stages. Harald Fredrich, plant ed. Many different dishes were placed on a offi ce building in rooms with bunk beds The Kyoto Protocol on Neckarsulm manager of Nettetal at the time, recalls the revolving table. Fortunately, I managed to and showers on the Pierburg premises. Climate Protection is times with amusement. escape eating the pig’s eyes that stared at They even had their own kitchen to cook signed Good Friday Agreement for Northern Ireland is signed

ICE train accident at Eschede

German-speaking countries introduce spelling reform

Google is founded in California/USA

1999 1999

Rheinmetall Defence 1999 The Euro is introduced as acquires Oerlikon book currency in 11 states Contraves AG in Switzer- land, now operating under Impeachment proceedings the name of Rheinmetall Air instigated against US Presi- Defence AG dent Bill Clinton in the wake Chinese staff travel from Peking to Nettetal of the Monika Lewinsky affair

Columbine High School massacre in the USA

50th anniversary of the A long and Republic of Germany World population exceeds six billion for the ﬁ rst time

Vladimir Putin becomes winding road... President of Russia

“Pierburg faced tough times in the early me from one of the bowls”, remembers the their own food. “Several times a week a 1990s. It was period of major change”, re- retired Pierburg employee with a smile. driver took them out shopping in a VW bus, 2000 2000 calls Harald Fredrich, who was plant man- Since the Chinese employees had little accompanied by their interpreter. A pair Opening of the Expo 2000 2000 Last football match at ager of Nettetal between 1989 and 1999 or no knowledge of carburettor production, of wild ducks that had been seen on the world exhibition in Hanover Wembley Stadion and – as such – also responsible for the it was decided to train them at the Nettetal meadows by the barracks disappeared a carburettor business there. His tasks were plant and teach them how to operate the few days later – presumably they ended up certainly challenging: Not only did the 62 machines and apply quality assurance in the cooking pot. After all, fried duck is a year-old manager have to disband carburet- measures, amongst other things. Only one Chinese speciality”, notes Fredrich. tor production, but he was also involved in year later, the ﬁ rst 20 FAW employees trav- Chinese workers from the last delega- launching the manufacture of new products elled to Nettetal with a delegation leader tion disassembled the production line. like electrical throttle bodies and advanced and interpreter. The casting and maintenance machines intake manifolds. The ten-day journey on the Trans-Siberi- as well as the assembly equipment were The French Concorde plane Although carburettors of the type 2E an railway from Peking via Moscow to Berlin shipped via Antwerp to China. Around six crashes in Paris were no longer needed on the German and and then on to Düsseldorf was a real adven- months later, production was fully under EU market, there was a strong demand for ture for the guests and hosts alike: for the way there... ann RHEINMETALL AG

2001 2001

The Combat Training Center 2001 September 11 terrorist operated by Rheinmetall is attacks on the World Trade 2 0 1 4 taken into service at Center and Pentagon in the – Altmark USA (with around 3,000 High noon victims)

2000 German parliament approves fi rst mission of the German armed forces with outside Europe in Afghanistan Wyatt Earp 2002 2002

The Euro is introduced as 2002 The fi rst prototype of the the normal currency (of the Boxer armoured fi ghting European Economic and vehicle is handed over to ebruary 2001 – following the change at Monetary Union) the European Defence the top of the Executive Board in 2000 Agency and the concentration on a strategy Nobel Peace Prize is F awarded to Jimmy Carter of clear lines pronounced by the new CEO Klaus Eberhardt, it seemed that things had calmed down at Rheinmetall – but this was not the case as an American called Guy Wyser-Pratt suddenly appeared on the scene, stating he had acquired around 7% of Rheinmetall stock. Wyser-Pratt claimed that by buying minority shareholdings he raised the value of companies by shak- ing shareholders into action and forcing managements to adopt strategies that suited his plan. In the case of Rheinmetall, he demanded the exclusive concentra- 2003 2003 tion on defence activities. However, his Kolbenschmidt launches 2003 Manufacture of the last VW series production of Beetle in Pueblo/Mexico project failed. Not only had group’s execu- pistons with LiteKS tive board already launched its extensive technology Republican Arnold divestment program, commencing with Schwarzenegger is elected the sale of the Jagenberg group, but CEO Governor of California Eberhardt also refused to concentrate on one corporate business line only. In the end, Röchling bought Wyser-Pratt’s shares in November 2001. Nonetheless, “Wyatt Earp” as he was often referred to behind closed doors, left his mark on the group, although this is diffi cult to prove: over the period of one year, the value of ordinary Rheinmetall shares rose by 110% and that 2004 2004

of preference shares by around 72%. cl Mark Zuckerberg, student 2004 Nitrochemie Aschau GmbH at Harvard University, starts its multi-year project launches Facebook as a EMPA for renewal of the platform for contacts systems for production of between students multiple-base propellant powders

ew York, London, Seoul, San Francis- The link between the Kö-Bogen and entrepreneur city co, Berlin – these capitals and many The tsunami with a death Nother cities in the world take pride in toll of around 230,000 architectural masterpieces by the star ar- destroys coastal regions of chitect Daniel Libeskind. Düsseldorf joined India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia this elite group in October 2013: Daniel Libeskind designed the Kö-Bogen that was A approach offi cially inaugurated at the northern end dual of the Königsallee last autumn. The distinct building complex consisting of Travertine and glass accommodates modern offi ces, shops and restaurants. In an area covering 2005 2005 15,000 m², the fashion specialist Breun- Pierburg inaugurates its 2005 Joseph Ratzinger is elected new assembly plant in Ústi Pope Benedict XVI inger offers an extraordinary shopping ex- to modernity perience including the biggest shoe shop in Following the general North-Rhine Westphalia. The Sansibar from election, Angela Merkel the North Sea Island of Sylt opened its fi rst explains the term Kö-Bogen (Kö arc). The Rheinmetall Immobilien GmbH. A modern becomes Germany’s fi rst female Chancellor restaurant on the mainland here. curved line of the Libeskind architecture municipal world for businesses and private The Düsseldorf Rheinbahn trams still pick refl ects the combination of city and country- use has grown on the former production up passengers where the new Libeskind side with green diagonal façade sections. site of Rheinmetall amidst existing urban construction stands – with the opening of While the star architect has combined the structures, distinguished by outstanding the new Wehrhahn line, these will partly be past and present of the city in his Kö-Bogen, architecture meeting high ecological stand- underground in future. So the Jan-Willem- another architectural tour de force combines ards. Inhabitants of the “Unternehmer- 2006 2006 Platz offered space for innovation. A look at life and work in a similarly interesting man- stadt” welcome the extensive offer of ser- FIFA World Cup in 2006 RDE is awarded the con- vices making their lives even better. A nice Germany; Italy wins the tract for the Future Soldier the city’s history shows that the novelty isn’t ner: the “Unternehmerstadt” (entrepreneur Championship (Enhanced) System that is as new as it seems. The Kö-Bogen of the 21st city) in the immediate vicinity of the Rhein- home and short distances leave more time marketed under the name century has reinvented the city’s architecture metall headquarters. for the really important things in life. Saddam Hussein sentenced of Gladius of the 19th century when an arc-shaped road The buildings erected in Düsseldorf-Deren- The “Unternehmerstadt” and Kö-Bogen to death (and executed on December 30) joined the Hofgarten gardens of Düsseldorf dorf since 2006 constitute no less than a – two urban developments that have taken with the shopping avenue Königsallee. This future model of urban life, developed by shape in Düsseldorf. uv

2007 2007

The 10 millionth water 2007 Storm Kyrill sweeps across circulation pump is wide parts of Europe, produced at Pierburg in leaving 34 dead and Hartha causing serious damage of around 8 billion euros in Germany alone.

The G8 Summit (of the major industrial nations) takes place at Heiligendamm (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) in Germany 2008 2008

Lehmann Brothers 2008 Rheinmetall establishes a Safe investment services joint venture for munitions declare bankruptcy production with the South African company Denel Dmitry Medvedev wins the Russian presidential landing elections Hyde Park birthday concert for Nelson Mandela in expected London

2009 2009

Rheinmetall Air Defence 2009 Barack Obama is sworn in presents network-enabled as the 44th president of air defence system Mantis the USA for near-range applications

Treaty of Lisbon (concluded between 28 member states of the EU) takes effect

2010 2010

Earthquake in Haiti (killing 2010 Pierburg launches produc- around 220,000 people) tion of valves and pumps at the new plant in Takwe, Sebastian Vettel wins his India first Formula 1 World Championship title

Tunisian Jasmine Revolu- tion following the self- immolation of the green- n March 2004, the European Space Agency ESA launched the space probe Rosetta on an Ariane 5 launcher from grocer Mohamed Bouazizi the space station Kourou. The probe is to land on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and place the “Lander” (sparking the Arab Spring) Ithere. Discovered in 1969, the comet probably joined the orbit of Jupiter in the 19th century. Scientists hope that the very first landing of a space probe on this comet will provide information about the evolution and structure of the comet, and ultimately also deliver some information about other planets like the Earth. But why feature this his- 2011 2011 tory of a journey back to the Big Bang in the Rheinmetall magazine celebrating the group’s 125th anniversary? Well, Pierburg commences 2011 Fukushima I (and other) Rosetta can only use (and leave) its scientific instruments on the comet if it makes a perfect landing at estimated development of the Range nuclear power plant temperatures of minus 270°C. And this is where Rheinmetall comes into it since the landing wouldn’t be possible Extender for extending the disaster in the wake of the without propellant powder from Nitrochemie. After all, the gravitation of the planet is not strong enough to simply range of cars with electric earthquake and tsunami in motors Japan (with a death toll of position the probe there – it would bounce back like a rubber ball. To overcome this problem, a harpoon system around 15,000) has been developed – powered by a gas generator with propellant powder from Nitrochemie. After several years of controlled travel through space, contact with the probe was broken off in 2011 in order to save energy. After a space Terrorist Osama bin Laden journey lasting ten years – including a communication break of 31 months – the eagerly expected signal from the Ro- is killed by US troops in Abbottabad/Pakistan setta spacecraft was received on January 20, 2014. Rosetta has entered into the orbit of the comet and can now tack- le the next tasks. We will know whether the landing has succeeded in November 2014 which is when the “Lander” is Germany abolishes com- due to touch down on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will be interesting to see whether this part of the pulsory military service in mission is just as successful as the signal received on 20th January this year. lb/da peacetime Muammar al-Gaddafi, the former Libyan dictator, is killed

2012 2012 A break with civil Mohammed Mursi is 2012 The hand-held rocket elected President of Egypt Mithras from Silberhütte is used in the James Bond n January 2013, Armin Papperger was appointed CEO of Rheinmetall AG, replacing the Death of Whitney Houston movie Skyfall former incumbent Klaus Eberhardt. This may have seemed a perfectly ordinary event, (February 11) and Donna Ibut did actually constitute a break with a tradition that had been upheld since the year Summer (May 17) 1956. Indeed, since the family Röchling had taken “control” of the Rheinmetall group, it had always tried to uphold a strong focus on the group’s civil activities, as reflected by tradition the appointment of previous chairmen of the executive board. Neither Otto Paul Caesar (1956 – 1971), nor Dr. Hans-Ludwig Hockel (1971 – 1985), Dr. Hans U. Brauner (1985 – 2000), or Klaus Eberhardt (2000 – 2012) were defence experts but had earned their merits in companies like Bruderus, Hanomag, Bosch and Temic Telefunken. Armin Papperger is also the first CEO since 1889 to come from Rheinmetall’s own ranks. Although this is another breach with tradition, continuity is certain: like all CEOs preceding him over the last 125 years, Armin Papperger will bring the Rheinmetall group forward. cl Nobel Peace Prize awarded to European Union

2013 2013

Pierburg lays the founda- 2013 Pope Benedict XVI steps tion stone for the new plant down and is succeeded by “ Da s P r ofil ”, the Niederrhein in Neuss Pope Francis Coronation of Willem- Alexander as King of the Netherlands

Rheinmetall magazine Whistleblower Edward Snowdon leaks information about global surveillance and spying activities of n its 99th year of existence, Rheinmetall de- developments the US secret services cided to distribute a company magazine called in all areas of the (NSA affair) I“Das Profil”. Since then, 118 issues have been group. With the in- published. The magazine has existed longer than troduction of the in- any other Rheinmetall publication like the “Rhein- ternational Newsline edi- 2014

metall-Borsig-Werkzeitschrift” (1937 – 1943), the tion in 1990, people working 2014 Unterlüß becomes produc- “Rheinmetall Informationen” (1974 – 1981) and at foreign subsidiaries have likewise been offered tion center for the new Puma the “Rheinmetall Report” (1982 – 1988). “Das Pro- the chance to read about Rheinmetall activities in infantry fighting vehicle fil” and its English equivalent have always been the English language newspaper. The layout and the PR anchor of the group, combining the papers content of the paper have changed several times of former entities like the “Rheinmetall Report”, over the years; the most important change was “Jagenberg Informationen” and “Pierburg ak- in 2004 when the paper went online with Profil tuell”. Employees at sites in Germany and German- online and Newsline online offering frequent up- speaking foreign subsidiaries are informed about dates, sometimes daily, on Rheinmetall. cl Ehrhardt: Not the founding father

hey all suddenly reappeared for the centenary celebrations of Rheinmetall: the “risk- T taking” men who are said to have founded the company together with Heinrich Ehrhardt. What sounds like a business deal sealed with a handshake in a smokey pub was in fact much less exciting when one looks at the documentary evidence. The Articles of Association dated May 13, 1889, give the names of the men who were allegedly happy to take the risk, but Ehrhardt’s name doesn’t appear on the document. In other words, he was not one of the founding fathers of Rheinmetall. Ehrhardt himself unintention- ally contributed to this: in his autobiography, he wrote of “his” Rheinmetall but never claimed to have founded the company. For someone who always made sure he appeared in the right light, the lack of any reference to his role as a founding member speaks for itself. If not Ehrhardt, who was the founder of the Book to mark company? Rheinmetall’s archives don’t offer an answer to this question. It seems it could have th been the Hoerder Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein, 125 anniversary the Ruhr Corporation which gave Rheinmetall its fi rst munitions order. Some historical evidence still exists in the archives of ThyssenKrupp AG ver the years, many people have asked whether there is a book about Rheinmetall’s history: at last, the an- in Duisburg: after receiving the order from the Oswer is yes, the book will be in the bookshops from Reich, the director general of the Hoerder Ver- autumn 2014 onwards. Entitled “Rheinmetall – Vom Reiz, ein, Joseph Massenez, borrowed money from im Rheinland ein großes Werk zu errichten” and published punctually to mark the 125th anniversary of Rheinmetall, his house bank Schlesinger Trier & Co to found a two-volume book about the history of the group, written his own company to execute the order: and this over a fi ve-year period by Rheinmetall historian Dr. Chris- was Rheinmetall. This is where the “risk-taking” tian Leitzbach, will be available. Starting with the foundation of Rheinmetall in the year 1889, readers are offered a men come into it: they were all Frankfurt bank- wealth of information about corporate history during the ers who provided the capital. The consortium period of the German Kaiser, and developments during the was established by Lorenz Zuckermandel, one Weimar Republic, the Nazi era, the Cold War and more re- cent history following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Leitzbach of the owners of Schlesinger Trier & Co., who outlines technological developments of the Defence and was also the fi rst supervisory board chairman of Automotive sectors as well the engineering activities of Rheinmetall. And what about Heinrich Ehrhardt? former Rheinmetall members like Jagenberg and puts these into a socio-historic context. The book addresses sensitive Even if he wasn’t one of the founding members, subjects like Rheinmetall’s involvement in the Hitler re- he still played a vital role in the development of gime, forced labour and arms exports, but also highlights Rheinmetall: personally charged with directing the determination of former managers who persevered and the company by Massenez, he was responsible fought for the survival of the Düsseldorf-based company in diffi cult times when others gave up (for example, following for purchasing machines, recruiting staff, build- the defeats of 1918 and 1945 and – on a more positive note ing the Derendorf plant and performing the or- – the fall of the Berlin Wall). der. Last but not least, Rheinmetall’s future was The book is published by Greven-Verlag in Cologne and secured by Ehrhardt’s extrusion and drawing is available from bookshops at a price of 39.80. process and the co-invention of the fi rst barrel recoil cannon fi t for fi eld service. But that is an entirely different story... cl

IMPRINT

Publisher: Rheinmetall AG · Responsible: Peter Rücker · Editor-in-Chief: Rolf D. Schneider · Address: Editorial Office “Newsline”, P.O. Box 104261, D-40033 Düsseldorf, [email protected] · Design: Bianka Anders (Berlin) · Illustration: Dirk Oberländer (Dresden) · Photos: Rheinmetall; akg-images; Deutsches Museum; picture alliance · Tim Callaghan · Text: Dominik Antenen, Dr. Christian Leitzbach, Annette Neumann, Ulrike Volkmann, Prof. Dr. Horst A. Wessel · Typesetting: Strack + Storch KG · Printed by: Druck & Medienservice Schürfeld